Fungal meningitis – or any form of meningitis – is deadly serious. According to yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, 91 people are currently known to have contracted the illness and at least seven have died from it. The tainted products can allegedly be traced back to New England Compounding Center based in Framingham, Mass, which is one of around 3,000 compounding pharmacies in the US, comprising a mere 3% of the annual US prescription drug market. This tragedy is likely going to be used by the FDA in their efforts to assert themselves over this industry, which is currently regulated chiefly at the state level. The compounding pharmacies are a growing segment as hospitals are increasingly outsourcing this kind of work.